


Daybreak // Trollhunters [1]

by PhoenixFire213



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Claire Nuñez - Freeform, Fanfiction, How Do I Tag, Jim Lake Jr. - Freeform, Jim Lake Jr/Claire Nuñez, Tales of Arcadia Fanfiction, Tales of Arcadia OC, Toby Domzalski - Freeform, Trollhunters Fanfiction, Trollhunters OC - Freeform, i don't know how to tag, tales of arcadia - Freeform, trollhunters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 12:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25969477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixFire213/pseuds/PhoenixFire213
Summary: The Trollhunter has perished, and Merlin's Amulet of Daylight has chosen its new champion. Zoë Sallow, a student at Arcadia Oaks High School, quickly finds out that her friend has become the new Trollhunter. She helps him on his quest to protect the people in Arcadia, humans and trolls alike, all the while keeping a dark secret from him.[I do not own Trollhunters. Trollhunters (Tales of Arcadia) is a TV Show made by Guillermo Del Toro and Daniel Kraus. The only character I own is my OC, Zoë Sallow.](I will admit right now that I am new to Archive, and I have no clue what I am doing. So please do not judge me)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. So, in case you couldn't tell, I'm newer to Archive, so I'm still learning how things work on here. I only just discovered the notes and rich text after I already published everything, so you can see how slow I am with this. 
> 
> This is A Trollhunters (Tales of Arcadia) fanfiction. I've officially done what I didn't want to do and created an OC (character) for it, and immediately planned a storyline where she's in it. I don't think I have to tell you that I do not own Trollhunters.
> 
> I want to make a chapter for each episode, although some may be split into two parts (hopefully no more than that). 
> 
> My writing isn't very good, but I am slowly improving, I think. So I hope you enjoy this story.

“Good morning, Arcadia Oaks!” The man over the radio announced. “It’s 4:30 a.m. If you’re still in bed, you are missing the most beautiful sunrise, clear skies, and a _beautiful_ morning ahead! And big news--”

The sun rose slowly over the canals, hitting every spot with sunlight, except for one. Underneath the bridge, a plastic cup rolled along the ground. As it did, a large, black foot stepped forward, crushing it. The creature came out of the shadows, its red eyes glowing in the darkness. Growling, he threw a punch, hitting his enemy back. The other creature, similar to the black one, quickly stopped himself from being thrown out into the sun. He wore silver armour, and and object was placed just above his heart. It glowed a gorgeous blue color, and seemed to be the source of where the armour came from. 

The creature in the armour summoned a sword and swung at the one in black. He easily dodged, and growled again. “Yield, Kanjigar.” he said.

Kanjigar gripped his sword. He panted, out of breath, but was not ready to give up. “A Trollhunter never yields.” He spoke. “I’d rather _die._ ”

The black creature snarled. “Terms accepted.” With that said, he jumped into the air, curling his hands into fists. When he came back down, he attempted to hit Kanjigar, but he stepped aside, causing the creature to slam his fists into the ground. Kanjigar swung again at him, but he punched it away. They continued their fight by throwing punches at each other. Kanjigar hit the creature away, sending him a few feet away. 

The creature panted as Kanjigar placed his sword at his throat. “You’re turn, Bular.” Kanjigar said. “Yield.” As he spoke, the light from the sun made contact with his stone-like skin, burning him. Bular grinned at this, and used the opportunity to kick Kanjigar away. As Kanjigar hit the ground, his sword fell to the ground, out of his reach and where the sunlight was now touching. 

Bular approached him, and Kanjigar quickly reached his hand out to grab his sword, screaming in pain as he did so. His fingers curled around the handle and he retracted his arm back into the shade. He stood up, ignoring the pain, and turned to face Bular. 

“There is nowhere left to run, Trollhunter.” Bular said with a snort. “Give me the amulet.”

Kanjigar glanced down at the amulet only to realize that it had stopped glowing. He stood frozen for a moment. There was no way he could win this fight. With that thought in his head, he turned and ran, keeping along the side of the walls. Bular chased after him, running on all fours to keep up. He jumped up onto the bridge, kicking Kanjigar in the process, throwing him against the wall. 

Bular smirked as he approached Kanjigar, who laid helplessly on the ground. He attempted to grab his sword and stand up, but Bular beat him back down. “It all ends here.” He said as he began to push Kanjigar into the light. He screamed in pain as his skin began to turn to stone.

“No…” Kanjigar stuttered out, managing to grab Bular’s hand and pull it into the sun. He cried out in pain, pulling away from Kanjigar, who quickly scrambled to his feet. Bular glared at him. Kanjigar stood against the pillar that supported the bridge to keep himself up. 

“It’s me or the sun,” Bular grunted. “Either way, you’re doomed.” As he spoke, he pulled out two blades and began to walk toward Kanjigar.

“No.” the Trollhunter said, courageously. “The amulet _will_ find a champion.” He began to step away from the pillar. “I may end, but the fight will not.” He stood at the edge of the bridge and crossed his arms across his chest. Kanjigar closed his eyes, and allowed himself to fall back. As he fell in the sunlight, his body turned to stone, and he shattered to pieces when he hit the ground.

“No!” Bular shouted, reaching his hand out, but immediately pulling his arm back in, due to his hand burning in the sun. He continued to scream in frustration, punching the wall in the process. When he was done, he slunk back into the shadows, hiding himself from the rest of the world.


	2. Chapter One - Becoming

"I don't get it."

Zoë Sallow sat in the front row of Mr. Strickler's history class. It was early, before class had started. She stared helplessly at the papers in front of her, confused by all of the questions that were being asked. Strickler glanced up at her from his desk just in time to see her drop her pencil dramatically on her desktop and sit back in her seat. He was unfazed by her actions since he was used to her doing this sort of thing. This had become a daily routine for the two of them. Strickler had learned to ignore her whining, so he looked back down and returned to grading papers. 

"What's not to get?" He asked, keeping his focus on the assignments. "This is all basic material that we have gone over many times. You should know this by now."

Zoë sighed. He was right. They had gone over this specific subject many times, both as a class and together outside of school. She knew that she should know this, and felt stupid that she didn't. Lately, her mind had been focused on other things, and she figured that was what was preventing her from learning this subject. "Yeah," she said, sinking further into her seat. "You're right." Zoë glanced up at Strickler, for some sort of reaction, but did nothing. The only thing that came from him was the words, "Yes. I am."

"Well you don't need to sound so smug about it..." Zoë said as she crossed her arms. "You could at least feel some pity for me."

Strickler set his pencil down long enough to move the paper he was writing on to the side, then picked it up again, grading a new assignment. "Feel pity for you because you didn't do your homework or pay attention in class?"

Zoë glanced back down at her paper, looking over it a second time. She picked up her pencil and bean to scratch down the few answers she did know. "You know what I mean." She studied the questions carefully for a few minutes, but eventually spoke up. "You don't like teaching me, do you?"

He stopped writing for a moment to look up at her. He watched as she worked on the assignment, answering more of the questions than he thought she would. "What gives you that idea?" He asked, now curious as to what she meant. 

She didn't look up from her paper once, and instead, shrugged her shoulders. "I'm a pain."

"Well, yes--"

"Hey!" Zoë glared at Strickler. "You weren't supposed to agree with me!" 

Strickler sighed as he set his pencil down and stood up. "You didn't let me finish." He grabbed the stack of papers that he had finished grading and neatly set them on the corner of his desk. "You can be a pain sometimes. As a student, and especially as a daughter."

"I'm not your daughter..." Zoë muttered and turned her head away from him. 

"No," Strickler said, turning to her. "You're not my daughter, but I am technically your legal guardian."

Zoë scoffed. "Whatever..." She sighed. "Anyways, you were going on about how much of a pain I am."

"But," Strickler continued. "You're smart. Intelligent. You just don't give yourself enough credit." He looked down at her paper and pointed to a few questions. "See? You said you didn't get it, but you've already answered half of these questions."

"They aren't right."

"Most of them are."

Zoë looked back over at him and then down at her paper. "I still don't get it. I was only guessing."

"Well," Strickler said and walked back over to his desk. "We'll go over it after school." He watched Zoë for a response, but she only shrugged her shoulders.

"Fine."

"We can go over all of your assignments so you understand them," Strickler said with a smile. "And that includes all of your missing assignments." 

Zoë's eyes widened. "All of them?" She asked and Strickler nodded. "But that will take all night!" 

Strickler sat down. "Well then, you better clear your schedule. You're going to have a busy night."

Zoë glared at him and crossed her arms. "This is stupid." Strickler didn't say anything in return, but instead kept a smirk on his face. Zoë opened her mouth to say another smart remark, but was cut off by the bell. Students began to file into the room and Zoë sat back in her seat, sighing. "Great..." She muttered. Once everyone was seated, she looked behind her to see two empty seats. _Where are Jim and Toby?_ She wondered. _It's not like them to be late. Not usually, anyways..._ She shook her head, clearing the thought, and turned her attention to the front of class. _Whatever. It's none of my business. Let's just get through this hour._

A few minutes went by, and the classroom door swung open. Zoë, as well as the rest of the class, looked up at the door to see Jim and Toby rush inside. Jim quickly took his seat behind Zoë and Toby sat next to him. 

"Jim. Toby." Strickler said as they sat down. 

Jim quickly spoke up. "We're sorry, Mr. Strickler. We got held up. We won't be late again." 

Strickler only smiled and picked up a pen that was laying on his desk. "Make sure you don't." Jim and Toby nodded at this and began to work. As all of this happened, a small smile made its way onto Zoë's face, and not in a rude way. She didn't talk to Jim or Toby that much, but they always seemed to cheer her up somehow. Especially in Strickler's class. She knew they cheered him up, too. At least, Jim did. He was Strickler's favorite student; there was no hiding that. It was as if he saw the boy as his own son. Knowing he had those kinds of feelings toward Jim made Zoë happy. It reminded her that there was more to Strickler than what he was. 

Zoë shook the thought away from her head and looked down at her computer. _Right_ , she thought to herself. _Don't get distracted... again._ She sighed, and suddenly she was back to her usual self. 

\-------

"The Peloponnesian War was actually three wars fought between Athens and Sparta." Mr. Strickler spoke. He opened and closed his pen multiple times as he taught the class. Zoë stared hopelessly at the computer as he continued to speak. "The first war is known as the Archimedean War. Type that into your search engines. A-R-C-H-I-M-E-D-E-A-N."

Zoë was lost at what Strickler was saying. Throughout most of the class, her mind had begun to wander; not that it was unlike her, of course. She did this often. She bit her bottom lip, knowing that Strickler would be asking her about this after school, and that it would be yet another subject they would have to go over. Deciding that it was too late to start paying attention, she began to listen in on the conversation going on behind her. 

"Really?" She heard Toby whisper over to Jim. He sighed. "Close your mouth. You're drooling."

"No I'm not," Jim whispered back. "What are you doing?"

"Research." Toby simply replied.

Zoë smiled and rolled her eyes. _Staring at Claire Nuñez again, I assume..._ She thought to herself. She figured it was rude eavesdropping on their conversation, so she decided to get back to work when she heard Jim whisper something to Toby. 

"Hey, look up talking amulet."

This got Zoë's attention. _Talking amulet?_ She thought. _Why would they research that?_

"I already tried that," Toby said. "All I got was toys. One of them was a plushie."

Jim sighed. "Same here. I even checked for references in the library. Nothing there, either."

"Jim, would you agree?"

The class suddenly went quiet and Zoë turned to see Strickler standing next to Jim's desk. Her eyes flickered over to look at Jim, who was desperately looking for something to say. "Sir?" He finally managed to slip out.

"With Herodotus' opinion on his tactics of war, as I've described." Strickler said, closing the lid on his pen. 

"Oh, uh..." Jim hesitated. He looked over at Toby for help, but he turned away, whistling. With nowhere else to turn, he glanced over at Zoë. She shrugged her shoulders, as if to say she had no clue. "Uh, absolutely." Jim finally stated. 

"Excellent," Strickler said. "Which tactics specifically?" 

"The, uh..." Jim went quiet. "The winning ones?"

The classroom filled with laughter and Jim sighed. The school bell then rang, and the students began to file out of the classroom. 

"Alright, alright. Don't forget Michaelson, chapters four and five." Strickler called to the class before turning to Jim. "Jim, may I have a word?" Zoë stood up and began to head out of class. "You too, Zoë."

"Oh, what?" Zoë said and Jim dropped his things on the ground. Zoë walked over to help pick them up, and Strickler did the same.

"Jim, you're distracted." Strickler began as he picked up a few books. "You fell asleep between the invasion of Attica and the Peace of Nicias, and your attention wandered for the rest of the class." He handed him one of his books and stood up. 

"Sorry," Jim said. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"I know it's just you and your mother, and you want to help her."

"She's just really tired, Mr. Strickler." Jim explained. "She's been working double shifts at the clinic."

"I believe I'm overdue for a conversation with her." Strickler said and began to write his number down on a piece of paper. Once he was finished, he handed it to Jim and smiled softly. "Have her call me, please."

"Uh..." Jim sighed.

"And feel free to drop by my office if you ever need to talk."

"Uh, yeah," Jim said, stuffing the number in his pocket. "I'll do that."

Jim stood up and began to head out of the class when Strickler called his name. "Oh, and Jim, if you fancy miss Nuñez, I submit that talking _to_ will be much more effective than staring _at_." He touched the other book in his hand lightly on top of Jim's head and smiled at him.

"Thanks, Mr. Strickler." Jim said, returning the smile, and took the book from him. As he walked out of the class, Zoë turned to Strickler. 

"So, why did you want to talk to me?" She asked. 

Strickler looked over at her and sighed. "For the same sort of reason." He walked over to his desk and set the pen down on top of it. "Zoë, I know we had this talk before class, but--" 

"I know." Zoë cut him off. "I'm sorry. I've just been thinking a lot. That's all." 

"About what?" Strickler asked.

"Things?" Zoë replied.

"Look, Zoë," Strickler began. "I know you're struggling. That part is obvious, and I know that it isn't because you're lazy or you don't care, because you do. When you put your mind to something, you do it. You've said to me many times that you want to be a good student and don't want to fall behind." He paused to see the expression on Zoë's face. It was sad, disappointed. He frowned. "But, I also know that you have a lot of things on your mind. I know what kind of things you've seen and had to go through. If this is troubling you and preventing you from getting good grades in school, then I want you to talk to me. Alright?"

Zoë was silent for a minute. She nodded slowly as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "Yeah. Okay." She started toward the door. "Hey, um... thanks. That really meant a lot." She gave him a soft smile.

Strickler bowed his head. "Of course, Young Amara."

Before Zoë stepped out of the door, she stopped and looked back at Strickler. "Oh, and um... I plan on beating you at chess after school today."

Strickler chuckled at this. "I look forward to it." This made Zoë smile and she skipped out of the classroom and to her next class.

\-------

"So what did Strickler want?" Toby asked Jim and Zoë as they stood in the gym, avoiding doing their workouts. This was pretty much the only time Zoë ever really talked to them, so she tried to get involved with their conversations as much as possible.

"Oh, you know," Jim said. "I fell asleep in class, didn't pay attention for the rest of the time I was awake; that sort of thing." 

"And that you should stop drooling over Claire and just talk to her." Zoë joked.

"I wasn't drooling!" Jim said. "Why does everyone think I was drooling?"

"Because you were." Toby said, making Zoë laugh.

Jim rolled his eyes. "What about you, Zoë? What did he want you for?"

She chuckled nervously. "Same thing, basically. Only, minus the Claire Nuñez part."

"Oh, ha ha..." Jim said, smiling afterwards. He then looked around the room, his eyes landing on our teacher, Coach Lawrence. "Come on." He said, heading over to one of the many ropes hanging down from the ceiling. "We should probably start climbing before Coach catches us standing around."

"Yeah," Zoë agreed. "I don't really want detention right now..."

The three headed over to the ropes and began to climb. Or at least, as best as they could. Jim and Zoë made it up fairly easy, while Toby could barely lift himself off the ground. He groaned as he pulled himself an inch off of the floor. "Hang on! Almost... there..." He pulled himself a little further up. "So close! So close!"

"Come on, Tobes!" Jim called as he rang the bell at the top of the rope. "You got this!"

Zoë rang the bell shortly after Jim and shouted down, "Yeah! You can do it, Toby!"

"So... close..!" Toby strained. He reached up to pull himself further, but ended up falling backwards and got his foot caught in the rope.

Zoë and Jim slid down their ropes as a booming voice yelled across the room. "What is _that_ on my rope?!" They looked over in the direction of the voice only to see Coach Lawrence making his way toward Toby.

"Oh..." Zoë said. "That's not good."

"Every student here should be able to climb _this_ rope and ring _that_ bell!" Coach Lawrence yelled, grabbing the rope Toby was caught on and shaking it, pointing to the bell. Zoë looked at Toby, who seemed frightened by the coach. "I want all of you to be made of iron! _Iron_!" He continued. "You have got to be kidding me! I don't know what to feel more sorry for!"

Bored of all the yelling, Zoë turned her attention toward Jim, who was staring at something across the room. I followed his gaze and realized he was watching Claire. She was sitting on the bleachers with Darci and Shannon, laughing and pointing at something on Claire's phone. Zoë smiled and walked up behind Jim.

"You should go talk to her." She said and Jim shook his head.

"I can't. What if she thinks I'm, I don't know, lame?" Jim asked and looked over at Zoë.

She won't." Zoë assured him. "Just remember what Strickler said. You stand a better chance if you just talk to her. Staring is going to get you nowhere."

Jim exhaled and nodded. "Yeah, you're right." He said. "Alright. I'm going to talk to her."

"Good luck!" Zoë called after him and gave him a thumbs up. She watched Jim for a moment, making sure he actually went over to her. It looked like things were going well. She smiled, happy to see Jim finally make a move on her.

"It's you or the rope!"

_Still?_ Zoë thought, and looked back at the rope where Toby and Coach were. Toby was still hanging upside down, his ankle twisted in the ropes, and Coach Lawrence was still yelling at him, and was now poking Toby's stomach.

"It's like a flabby piñata, and I'm pretty sure you're filled with candy!"

\-------

"So? How did it go?" Zoë asked Jim as they walked away from the gym, with Toby trailing not too far behind them.

Jim sighed. "I unleashed my español on her."

"Well, at least you actually talked to her." Toby said, now caught up with the two. "So, it's a start!"

Zoe chuckled at his excitement. "Oh!" Toby practically yelled, as if he had forgotten to mention something. "So, good news, dudes. My orthodontist says I'm almost done with my braces!" He smiled brightly. "Only four more years!"

"That's awesome, Toby." Zoë said. 

As they made their way to their lockers, they heard laughing. They looked in time to see Steve Palchuk shove another student, Eli Pepperjack, into a locker. He had a smirk on his face, and the surrounding people were chuckling and snickering amongst themselves.

"Okay, nothing to see here." Toby said, shuddering away from the scene.

"We can't just let him do that." Jim said as Steve shut the locker with Eli still inside.

"Oh, yes we can." Toby said and kept walking. "If Steve is terrorizing him, then he isn't terrorizing us." He stopped, looking around. "Jim? Zoë? Oh no."

"Tell me again, Dweeb-face!" Steve yelled through the locker. "Tell me about the creatures, and maybe I'll let you out!" He smacked his hand against the locker in an attempt to intimidate the kid inside.

"Or, you can let him out right now." Jim said, walking up to him. "I mean, you know, it would be nice."

Steve scoffed and glared at Jim. "Nice would be you minding your own business."

As Steve spoke, a voice came from inside the locker. "Oh, hi Jim!" Steve quickly hit the locker again to shut Eli up.

"So, where were we?" Steve asked. "Oh yeah, you were telling me about the monsters you saw this morning," He said, laughing. "with the fangs and... what was it again?"

"Stone for skin! In the canals!" Eli shouted again.

Zoë froze when hearing that. _Stone for skin? In the canals? He can't be serious, right?_

"Did you hear that?" Jim whispered over to Toby and he shook his head. 

"Sounds crazy to me." He replied back.

Steve laughed. "Stone for skin? Man, Eli, you've got some imagination!"

As Steve said that, Jim walked up to him. "Look, Steve, seriously. Just let him out."

Steve looked down at him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. He rose his fist, ready to punch him. "Or you'll do what?"

Jim looked scared for a moment, but calmed himself down. He looked Steve in the eyes and began to speak. "Alright. Do it. Punch me." He said.

Steve looked surprised at this comment. "You're... asking for a beating?"

Jim nodded. "Yeah, man. Just, go crazy, because in twenty years, you're going to be fat and bald and you'll be working in a muffler shop, and Eli is going to have a career in software and he'll be a billionaire!"

"I do like computers!" Eli shouted again from inside the locker, and Steve punched it, quieting him.

"Just let him go, Steve." Zoë said, standing up to him. "Let Eli out of the locker, and leave him alone."

"Yeah!" Toby yelled, and began to chant, _"Let him out! Let him out!"_ The other students began to join in, and pretty soon, that entire section of the school had began to chant it.

Steve looked around, nervously. He tightened his fist, ready to punch Jim, when the door to the school burst open and Coach Lawrence stormed out.

"Palchuk!" He yelled. "What's going on here?"

Steve dropped Jim and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, nothing sir." A nervous smile made its way onto Steve's face.

"Why aren't you at practice?" 

"I was just helping Eli, here." Steve said, quickly, and opened the locker door. Zoë peered inside to see Eli shoved in upside down, and his glasses hanging loosely off of his face.

"Hey guys." He said and waved.

"He was stuck." Steve added. 

Coach Lawrence gave Steve a strange look before shouting, "On the double! Now!" With that said, he headed back inside the school.

Once Coach was gone, Steve slammed the locker shut, once again locking Eli inside, and leaned down to Jim's level on the ground, glaring at him. "Friday at noon. You and me." He then held up his hand, extending his pointer finger out. He began to wave it in a ticking motion, repeating the words _"Tick-tok, tick-tok."_

Steve disappeared into the school after that. There was banging from inside the locker, and Zoë opened it. As she did, Eli dropped out, letting out a yelp as he hit the ground.

"Thank you!" Eli said and smiled up at her.

"No problem, Eli." Zoë responded, returning the smile. She walked back over to Jim and Toby. "Are you two headed home?"

Jim nodded. "Yeah. What about you?"

"Not yet." Zoë said. "I have to wait for Strickler. I told him I was going to beat him at a game of chess as soon as school let out." A smirk had grown on her face, but it quickly returned to normal. "Besides," she added. "he's my ride home."

"Alright," Jim said. "See you tomorrow?"

"For sure." Zoë replied.

The two hopped on their bikes and began to ride away.

"Hope you win!" Toby called back as they disappeared around the corner. Zoë laughed and headed inside the school towards Strickler's room.

Zoë opened the door to the classroom and stepped inside, dropping her bag on the ground next to his desk. Strickler glanced up at her from his desk.

"Ah, Young Amara," He started. "You finally roll in."

She pulled a chair up to the other side of the desk and plopped down in it, sighing. "Yeah, sorry. I had to deal with something."

"Which was?" He asked.

"You know." She said. Steve, innocent kids being stuffed into lockers; that sort of thing."

"I see." He said. 

Zoë laid her head down on the desktop and was about to close her eyes, when she noticed the chess board sitting just a few inches away from her. She smiled and pulled it in front of her and Strickler. 

Strickler looked down at the chess board as it was placed in the middle of the desk, and then up at Zoë. "So you were serious about the game, then?"

"I said I would beat you, didn't I?" She asked and Strickler chuckled.

"Alright, alright. But only one game. We need to get home and get started on your homework." He said.

Zoë groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"Of course." Zoë replied and smirked. "Now, let's get on with it."

\-------

"I can't believe I lost..." Zoë grumbled the next day.

"You were off your game." Strickler said, taking a sip of his coffee while looking over what Zoë assumed to be the lesson plan for that day. "Normally, you do better. You were too focused on winning that you forgot to actually play."

Zoë crossed her arms. "That's what you always say..."

"Because it's always true." He replied.

Zoë rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat. She was about to take out one of her assignments from the day before when the classroom door flung open and Jim ran inside. Zoë jumped as this happened, and Strickler casually looked up from his desk.

"Hello, Jim." Strickler greeted warmly. "What can I do for you?"

"Um..." Jim stuttered. "Do you have a minute?" He seemed nervous.

Strickler gave Jim a worried look. "Are you alright? You look peaked." Zoë could hear the concern in his voice. "Here, why don't you sit down." He said, offering Jim a seat.

Jim grabbed the chair from the piano in the corner of the room and pulled it up in front of Strickler's desk. His breathing was shaky and he looked scared, in a way.

"Okay," Jim breathed out, spinning the chair a few times before sitting down. "I don't really know how to say this, but something incredible happened last night." He spoke quickly. "Actually, it's unbelievable. Completely unbelievable! As in, you won't believe me!" He stood up, spun the chair again, and sat back down.

"Alright," Strickler said. "Just calm down. I'll believe you."

"Uh..." Jim stuttered again. "Right, so, last night, two, um, things showed up at my house!"

Strickler raised a brow. _"Things?"_

"You know," Jim started. "Things. Guys. But they were _really_ weird." He spun around a few times on the chair. "I've never seen anything like them before. One had these _eyes_ and the other was huge and hairy!" He spun around again. "And they said they were tro--" He stopped.

"Tro..?" Strickler asked. He leaned forward a bit in his seat, interested in what Jim was about to say. Zoë watched him eagerly from behind, also interested in what he would say.

Jim hesitated for a second. "They said they were... tr- trainers! Trainers, who want to train me in..." he trailed off a bit, but chuckled lightly to himself. "chess."

Strickler just stared at Jim. "And why would that have you so perturbed?" He asked.

"They really weirded me out." Jim said. He stood up and walked over the window. He frowned a second later and looked down at the ground.

Strickler cleared his throat and stood up, crossing over to Jim. "Now, I think I know what has you so distraught, Jim." He stood behind Jim and peered out of the window. "It's like I told you yesterday. You have a lot on your shoulders. Too much, in my opinion, for someone of your age. And I think this opportunity--"

"Chess?" Jim asked.

"...I think it's causing you anxiety." Strickler continued. "I know you want to be there for your mother, but it's as a great poet once wrote, "Do what's good for you, or you're not good for anybody."

Jim continued to stand by the window, taking in what Strickler had just told him. Suddenly, the bell rang, and Jim snapped out of his thoughts.

"Hey, thanks for the advice." Jim said and walked over to the door to grab his bag. "I like talking to you. It's like you have the answers to all of my problems."

"Of course." Strickler said. He started to turn away toward his desk but froze.

_What's he doing?_ Zoë thought. That was when she saw a flash of blue out of the corner of her eye. She quickly turned her head toward Jim and saw something sticking out of his bag. _Wait... that looks familiar..._ she thought _. That can't be it... can It?_

\-------

"Maybe it was nothing." Zoë suggested as her and Strickler drove down the road.

"Don't be foolish. You said you heard them talking about it yesterday, didn't you?" Strickler asked.

Zoë was hesitant before speaking. "I... I didn't think they were talking about _it_."

They parked on the side of the road, right above the canals. They got out of the car and proceeded down the steep walls, making their way to the pile of rocks that were placed at the bottom. Zoë recognized these rocks, and looked fearfully up at Strickler. He picked up a piece of the remains and spoke up. "It's been taken. You failed. You let it go. Your father will be displeased."

A large figure came up behind them, roaring in anger. Neither of the two were fazed by his tantrum.

"Whoever holds the Amulet of Merlin, I shall destroy him! Just as I have done with every single one of them!" The figure growled.

Strickler dropped the rock back onto the pile. "Worry not, you brute. I know where to find it." He said. His eyes turned a bright yellow, glowing in the darkness. "I believe the amulet has found it's _champion_."


	3. Chapter Two - Becoming Part Two

_“It chose a human…”_

Zoë sat silently on the couch while Strickler paced around in the living room. The night before, they had discovered that the amulet had chosen its next champion to be the trollhunter. Strickler was furious. Not only had Bular killed the previous trollhunter, but he had failed his mission to collect the amulet. Now, because of that mistake, it had found someone new to take on that position, which happened to be a human. Not just any human, either. 

“Jim Lake is the Trollhunter…” Zoë finally stuttered out. “But, why? Why would the amulet choose a human? Is that even possible? Humans aren’t even supposed to know about them!”

“I don’t know why,” Strickler said, trying to collect himself. 

“This isn’t good.” Zoë said. “If Jim Lake is the Trollhunter, then that means--”

“He has to be stopped.” Strickler cut her off.

Zoë looked over at him, confusion spread across her face. “You aren’t saying what I think you’re saying, are you?”

Strickler sighed. “Zoë--” He started.

“No!” Zoë shot back at him. “Don’t even think about it! Jim is a friend! He’s _my_ friend! If you dare hand him over to Bular--”

“What choice do we have, Zoë?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Zoë started. “Maybe the more peaceful choice?”

Strickler closed his eyes and lowered his head. “I don’t want to,” he said. “But we have orders…” 

“I don’t care about the orders.” Zoë said. “You know that following his orders is a waste of time. Nothing good will come out of it, so why even bother?” She stood up from the couch and walked over to the window. “I know we were created to serve him, and I know what he promised us, but do you really think he’ll live up to that?”

Strickler looked over in Zoë’s direction. He exhaled. “I don’t know.”

“Then why?” She asked again. 

Because it’s what we have to do.”

“What we _have_ to do?” Zoë scoffed. “We don't _have_ to do this.”

Strickler walked up behind her. “Zoë, you know what he’s like. If we don’t do as he says, we will become traitors to our own kind. What then? He would likely send an army to come and dispose of us.” 

Zoë turned around to face him. “You really are thinking about doing this, aren’t you?” She said, exasperated. Strickler said nothing, which only proved her point. She lowered her head. “Well then, you can do it alone. I’m not going to hurt my friend.” She shoved past Strickler and headed toward the door.

“Zoë, where are you going?” Strickler asked. 

“I’m going to Jim’s house.” She replied, twisting open the door.

His eyes widened and suddenly, he felt nervous. “Zoë, you can’t tell him.”

She let out a weak laugh. “Oh, no. I don’t plan on telling him anything. I’m going to let him figure out for himself who his enemies are. And when he does, you can be the one begging and pleading for him to let you live, because as soon as he realizes what you are, he’s going to want you gone.” 

With that said, Zoë pulled open the door and walked out of the house. She stepped down, off of the porch and stopped. She began to think about everything that had just happened. Jim being the new Trollhunter and Strickler deciding to fight against him rather than with him. Her hand curled into firsts and she walked down the pathway, away from the house, and disappeared around the corner. 

As she walked, she began to think. _Maybe it isn’t such a good idea to go to Jim’s house._ She thought. _It’s not as if I can bring up the amulet or the trolls. He’ll know something’s going on, and then he’ll think I’m someone he needs to fight._ She began to slow her pace. _And if he’s the  
Trollhunter, someone would have tried to reach out to him by now, right? What if there’s a troll there? They’ll recognize me instantly. _Zoë came to a stop about a block away from Jim’s house. 

“Maybe this is a bad idea.” She spoke quietly to herself. “I should just go back.” Zoë turned away and began to walk back home when she saw two figures up ahead. She looked up, and groaned. “Oh no…”

“Hey Zoë!” Toby said, zooming past her on his bike, Jim following close behind.

“Oh, uh, hey Toby. Jim.” Zoë said. “What are you up to?”

Jim sighed. “Toby just got out of the dentist.”

“Dentist?” Zoë asked. “But, Toby, weren’t you just there? Who goes to the dentist two days in a row?”

“My thoughts exactly.” Jim said. “Anyways,” he turned to Zoë. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, well,” Zoë started. “I was actually headed to your house, but then I noticed you weren’t home, so I was just headed back.”

“Oh,” Jim said. “Tobes and I are headed back to my house now, so you can still come over.”

“Yeah!” Toby said. “Jim was going to show me what his am--”

“Uh, Toby.” Jim said. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Jim pulled Toby aside and began whispering.

“Why can’t she know?” Toby asked. “I mean, if it’s so cool, wouldn’t you want to show her?”

“Tobes, what I am about to show you is so amazing, but it isn’t something that you can tell others. This _has_ to be kept secret.” Jim said, keeping his voice lowered.

“But you already invited her to your house.” Toby urged. “Besides, who is she going to tell?”

“I don’t know.” Jim said. “Strickler? The whole school?”

Zoë took a step toward them. “Hey, um, don’t worry about it, okay?” She said. “This sounds like something I shouldn’t be a part of. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” She turned and began to walk away.

Jim walked over to her, stopping her. “No, Zoë, it’s okay.” Jim said. “I’ll show you.”

Zoë was hesitant. “Are you sure?” She asked. “I don’t want to intrude on… whatever this is.”

“You won’t” He assured. “But you have to promise you won’t tell _anybody._ "

"I won't. I promise." Zoë said and Jim smiled. 

"Alright! Come on. You have to see this!" Jim ushered Zoë and Toby into the house. Once inside, he shut the door and ran over to the table in the living room, picking up the amulet. “Okay! You two are _never_ going to believe this!”

Toby frowned. “My mouth still feels a little sore,” he whined and walked into the kitchen. He made his way to the freezer and pulled out a frozen pizza, pressing it against his cheek.

“Check this out.” Jim said and held the amulet in front of him. It glowed a beautiful blue color, which Zoë thought was amazing. 

_I’ve never seen it this close before._ Zoë thought as she examined the amulet. “That’s incredible.” She breathed out.

Jim smiled. “I know! But just wait. It can do so much more.”

“Do you have any aspirin?” Toby asked, sniffing the pizza with a smile and licking his lips afterwards. 

“Tobes, play attention.” Jim said and looked down at the amulet. He took a deep breath before reading, “ For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to--”

The ding on the microwave sounded as Jim was speaking the incantation. Toby eagerly pulled open the door on the microwave and removed the pizza from inside. Jim and Zoë stared at him with irritation and confusion. 

“How can you eat just after your whole mouth just had a surgery?” Jim asked him and Toby shrugged. 

“Go on.” He urged. 

Jim sighed. “It was working last night.” He sat down on the arm of the couch and stared at the amulet. 

Toby tilted his head. “Are you punking me right now?” He closed the microwave and joined Jim and Zoë in the living room. 

“Oh!” Jim said, as if he remembered something, and stood back up. “Wait, wait, wait, wait. I think I got it.” Jim held the amulet out in front of him again and closed his eyes. He took in another deep breath and slowly exhaled. “For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command.” 

As he spoke the words that were written on the amulet, it began to glow, and not like it did before. The blue lights surrounded Jim and lifted him into the air. Armour appeared and began to close around his body. Toby gasped at the sight, a smile making its way to his face, while Zoë just stared. She watched as Jim floated down and landed peacefully on the ground, pulling out a large sword in the process.

“How cool is that?” Jim said, excitedly, motioning to himself.

“What?” Toby whispered, walking up to Jim and inspecting every part of the armour, including the amulet. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” Toby squealed. “This is so cool!” He gasped and gripped Jim’s shoulders. “You know what this means, right? You have a sacred responsibility here.”

Jim smiled. “That’s exactly what they said!”

Toby jumped up and down, repeating the words “oh my gosh” several more times. “You have to use these new powers for the benefit of all mankind! You have to use this to kick Steve’s butt!” He began to do some martial arts moves. 

Jim facepalmed and Zoë stared at him.

“Really?” Zoë asked. 

“I show you a glowing sword and a suit of armour that can only be magic, and that’s how you respond?” Jim asked, holding the sword in front of Toby. “Is kicking Steve’s butt the only thing on your mind right now?”

Zoë raised a brow at him. “How are you not questioning where all of this is coming from?”

“I am,” Toby said. “But seriously! It’s butt kicking time!” He smiled and began to do the weird martial arts moves again. Zoë groaned and rolled her eyes as he did. “These pants are so elastic.” He mentioned and suddenly paused, realizing something. “Wait, who’s _they?_ ” 

“That’s the part I’ve been freaking out over!” Jim said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Hold on,” Zoë stopped him. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with that weird conversation you had with Strickler yesterday, would it?” 

“Actually,” Jim said. “Yeah, it kind of does.”

As he spoke, there was pounding at the back door. The three turned to look at what was making the noise when a creature with blue stone-like skin peeked inside, smiling at them.

Toby screamed. “Wh- What- What the heck is that?! Don’t open the door!”

The door opened, and the creature walked inside. “Master Jim!” He laughed and made his way over to Jim.

Toby quickly ran into the kitchen to hide. “I’m calling 9-1-1!” He pulled out his phone and began to dial the number. The sound of something hitting the wall came from the back door. Everyone looked to see another creature, much bigger than the other one, try to push his way through the door. “No,” Toby said, changing his mind. “I’m calling Animal Control!” He hid behind the counter, scarfing down the pizza, muttering the words, “oh my gosh” and “they talk” over and over again.

Zoë stood frozen as they made their way over to Jim. Her breathing became shaky and took a few steps back. _Trolls. There are trolls here._ She thought, backing up against the wall. _I can’t be here. Jim can’t know about me!_

“I knew it was only a matter of time before the amulet called to us.” The blue troll cheered.

“Called to you?” Jim questioned him. 

“Actually, no.” The blue troll confessed. “We’ve been spying on you.”

“Spy on you.” The large, green troll agreed, laughing. He tried to push himself into the house again. 

“Well,” the blue troll said again, correcting himself. “We were keeping a close watch.” 

The green troll managed to push his way through, crashing to the ground, making Jim, Toby, and Zoë jump.

“Door small.” He said.

A cry of anger then came from the kitchen. Zoë and Jim looked over at Toby, who stuck his phone in his pocket. “Animal Control hung up on me.” He groaned. 

The blue troll turned his attention to Toby and blinked all six of his eyes. “You told your little stout friend about us?” He asked Jim. 

“Uh, yeah. I also told her about you.” Jim said, motioning to Zoë. “Is that a problem?” 

“Master Jim,” He explained. “We trolls have gone to great lengths to keep our existence a secret from your kind, lest there be panic.” Toby suddenly grabbed a ladle from the kitchen and pointed it at the green troll, panicking. “Like that.”

“Tobes, it’s alright.” Jim said, reassuringly. “They’re friends.”

“They’re, like, nine feet tall!” Toby shouted, continuing to wave the ladle around. 

Jim turned back to the blue troll. “This is my best friend, Toby D.” He said, gesturing toward Toby. “He lives across the street with his Nana, and this is Zoë Sallow.” Jim motioned to Zoë, smiling. “She’s another one of my good friends.”

The troll looked over at Zoë in shock, as if he had only just noticed her. He squinted his eyes at her, studying her closely. “She is your friend?” He asked.

“Well, yeah.” Jim said, matter of factly. “I wouldn’t have shown her the amulet if she wasn’t my friend.”

The troll walked up to her, examining her. “And what did you say your name was again?”

“Um…” Zoë froze, frightened. _He can see right through me._ She thought, her heart pounding in her chest. _He knows what I am._ She took a deep breath. “Zoë Sallow.” She said and extended her hand out to him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The troll narrowed his eyes at her before slowly taking her hand. “Likewise.” He said. “I am Blinkous Galadrigal, though, I am better known as Blinky.” He said, retracting his arm from Zoë’s grasp. “And this is Aarghaumont,” he said, motioning to the green troll. 

“It’s Aaarrrgghh.” The green troll stated.

“Anyways,” Blinky continued. “Your friend is the Trollhunter. His noble obligation is protective,”

“By protecting, do you mean like a superhero?” Toby asked. “Ooh! Can I be his sidekick? And can I have a cool superhero name like Deathblade or Snipersnake?”

“Hold on,” Jim said, cutting in. “Who would I be protecting?”

“Us.” Aaarrrgghh said, pointing to Blinky and himself.

“And mankind.” Blinky added. “From the bad trolls, as well as goblins, gruesomes, and the occasional rogue gnome.” Blinky continued to name off all of the strange creatures that Jim would be fighting. As he did so, Toby snuck up next to him and began to poke him with the ladle, pushing it up against three of his six eyes. Annoyed, Blinky turned to face Toby and glared at him. “Do you mind?”

This made Toby jump back in fear, tossing the ladle on top of the counter. 

Blinky turned his attention back to Jim. “The mantle of Trollhunter is a sacred responsibility; one which has never been passed to a human before. This is a momentous occasion.” He smiled at Jim.

Suddenly, the sound of a car honking came from outside. Jim gasped. “Oh no! It’s my mother! Upstairs, quick!” Jim shouted, leading the other four upstairs and into the bathroom.

“Jim, it’s me.” called Jim’s mother, Barbara, from downstairs. 

“Everyone, be quiet.” Jim whispered. “She’s not supposed to be home until midnight.”

“Then why is she home now?” Zoë asked him, nervously.

As Jim was trying to listen outside the door, Aaarrrgghh pressed his face against Toby and inhaled, sniffing him. “Mmm…” He hummed, licking his lips. “You smell like cat.”

“Well, my Nana has a Siamese.” Toby said, eyeing Aaarrrgghh as he continued to sniff him.

“Tasty.” 

Toby shuddered and took a step away from the troll. 

“Jim?” Barbara called again, just on the other side of the door. “I forgot my phone. Are you okay in there?”

“Uh, I’m… fine.” Jim said nervously. “I mean, my stomach’s a little, um…” He stopped when Toby began making fart noises and splashing the toilet water around. “Uh, you know, I think I might have food poisoning.” 

Zoë nudged Toby and pulled his hands away from the toilet. She raised a finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet.

“Honey, I’ll get you some medicine, okay?” Barbara said and headed back downstairs. 

Jim let out a small sigh of relief. “Uh, Jimbo?” Toby said, pointing to the amulet. Jim looked down, noticing that it was glowing again. 

“The amulet reacts to your emotional state.” He said, calmly. “You appear to be in some distress” 

“You think?” Jim said, sarcastically.

“Oh, so I have another question.” Toby said. 

“Speak, Theodore.” Blinky said, turning his attention to Toby.

“It’s Toby, actually. Or Tobias.” He said, correcting the troll’s mistake. “So, if Jim is the first human Trollhunter, like you said, then who or what was the first Trollhunter, before him?”

“The glorious mantle has been passed from troll to troll for hundreds of years, Blinky stated. 

“So, the previous Trollhunter,” Jim started. “He, what? Retired?” He asked.

“Was felled.” Aaarrrgghh said, bowing his head. 

“Felled?” Jim asked him. 

“Means killed.” Aaarrrgghh explained. 

“He was turned to stone and smashed,” Blinky added, hitting his fist against his hand. “Kanjigar the Courageous was his name, and he was brutally slain by a ruthless troll named Bular.” 

Jim took a few steps back, fear spread across his face. Zoë stepped over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, and Toby did the same. “Don’t worry, dude.” Toby said, reassuringly. “This Bular guy probably just got lucky.”

Blinky shook his head. “The evidence does not suggest that.” He said. “Bular is a formidable opponent.”

“Then the other guy,” Jim said, his voice trembling. “He was just off his game or something, right?”

“Doubtful.” Blinky denied again. “Kanjigar was, perhaps, the most alert and able of all Trollhunters.”

“But not the best, I’m betting.” Jim said. 

“Oh, the very best.” Blinky said, not noticing how scared Jim was. “Many songs and sagas have been written about him.”

“Um,” Toby butted in. “I think what my friend here is a little worried about is, if this--”

“Bular.” Aaarrrgghh reminded him. 

Toby glanced up at him. “Yeah, I got it.” He said. “If Bular could defeat Kanjigar--”

“Smashed to pieces.” Aaarrrgghh said again, grabbing the toilet brush and stuffing it into his mouth. Zoë scrunched her face at the sight and looked away from him. 

“Then what’s going to happen to Jim?” Toby finished, hoping he wouldn’t get interrupted again.

“Ah!” Blinky said. “A most appropriate, if troubling query, Tom.” Toby glared at Blinky and he quickly corrected himself. “Tobias. Of course, we would never expect Master Jim to engage in battle without the proper training. Not at all!”

Toby smiled and turned to Jim. “See?” He said. “Nothing to worry about.” He then looked back at Blinky. “How long does the training take?”

“Oh,” Blinky said, trailing off. He began to quietly count his fingers on all four of his hands. “Decades.” He finally said. 

“And how long, exactly, do I have?” Jim asked. 

“A day or two.” Blinky said, smiling afterwards. Aaarrrgghh began to make the “so-so” motion with his hand. Jim groaned and facepalmed. 

“Great…” He sighed. There was then a knock on the door and everyone went silent. 

“Jim,” Barbara called through the door. “I have some medicine and ginger ale. Come on out.”

“I’m fine, Mom. Really.” Jim called back.

“I’m a doctor, and I’m going to treat my own son.” She said again.

Jim shook his head. “I just need some privacy. Really, Mom, I’m fine.”

Zoë stood against the wall, making as little noise as possible. She folded her arms, now feeling very insecure. She glanced up at Blinky. He stared back at her, narrowing his eyes, as if trying to figure out why she was there. Feeling uncomfortable by his glare, she lowered her head, avoiding eye contact with him. 

“Jim, you’re worrying me.” Barbara said. “I’m coming in.”

“Get in the tub. Quick!” Jim whispered to the other four. Toby and Zoë quickly made their way over to the bathtub, pushing Blinky and Aaarrrgghh along with them. Once inside, they shut the curtain. Jim quickly changed out of his armour as his mother opened the door. “See?” He told Barbara, walking out of the bathroom with a smile. “All better.” He proceeded down the stairs with Barbara following behind him.

“Are they gone?” Toby asked quietly. 

“I don’t know.” Zoë replied. “Just be quiet.”

Aaarrrgghh was holding Zoë and Toby while they were in the tub, and Blinky sat on Aaarrrgghh’s legs. Zoë leaned close to the curtain, trying to listen and see if it was safe to go out. As she was trying to focus, Aaarrrgghh began to sniff Toby again.

“Stop sniffing me, giant troll dude.” Toby whispered, pushing him away.

“Smell like cat.” He said and smiled. 

“Wow, you must really like cats.” Toby said.

Zoë rolled her eyes and continued to listen. She then felt Aaarrrgghh press his face against her, sniffing her now.

“Hey! Why are you sniffing me?” She asked him.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Smell like troll.”

She tensed as he said that, but didn’t show any expression to show how nervous she was. “Because I’m in here with a bunch of trolls…” She said, trying to come up with a reasonable answer. “Now knock it off, I’m trying to listen.”

Blinky continued to watch her as they waited for a sign to get out of the tub. Barbara made sure that Jim took some medicine, even though he didn’t need it, and left to go back to work. When they were sure she was gone, Zoë, Toby, Blinky and Aaarrrgghh climbed out of the tub and made their way downstairs. 

Jim was sitting on the couch when they finally made it downstairs. Zoë and Toby walked over to him, sitting down beside him. Blinky and Aaarrrgghh followed behind them. As Aaarrrgghh walked into the living room, he bumped into walls, tables, and shelves, knocking things over as he did. He tried to pick them up, but ended up banging his head against the lights. The others looked over at him. 

“Your cave too small.” He said apologetically, rubbing his head. 

“Well, it wasn’t really designed to house nine-foot trolls.” Jim said, picking up a few books that Aaarrrgghh had dropped.Toby stood up and headed over to a pile of VHS tapes that had fallen off the shelf. He sifted through them, looking at them rather than putting them back on the shelf.

“So, Master Jim.” Blinky turned to Jim. “Are you ready? We should begin your training immediately.”

Jim finished putting the books back on the shelf and stood up. “Well, it’s a school night.” He said.

“I assure you, the relevance escapes me.” Blinky said. 

“I’m fifteen.” Jim said. “I have to stay home and, you know, study and stuff. Do homework. I can’t be out… trollhunting.”

“Because?” Blinky asked.

“Well, the whole ‘getting killed by a vicious troll’ may be a dealbreaker.” Jim stated and looked away.

Toby suddenly gasped. “Dudes!” Zoë, Jim, and Blinky looked over at Toby, who was stuffing something into Aaarrrgghh’s mouth. “He eats VHS’s!” Toby laughed, feeding him more. Aaarrrgghh belched and Zoë scrunched up her face. 

“Toby, those don’t belong to you.” Zoë told him off.

“Dealbreaker?” Blinky asked, returning his attention to Jim.

“I don’t want to die!” Jim snapped, clearly frustrated. 

Blinky tilted his head and blinked a few times. “Goodness gracious!” He smiled at him. “Who does?”

Jim sighed, lowering his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the amulet. He handed it to Blinky. “Maybe you should take this back…” He said, solemnly. 

Blinky pushed it back to Jim. “The amulet called to you, Master Jim. It _chose_ you. It is you--”

“Please don’t say destiny.” Jim pleaded. 

“...sacred obligation.” Blinky finished.

“Or that.” Jim groaned. “Look, it must have made a mistake, or something.”

“You cannot refuse it,” Blinky pressed. “You cannot give it back. It is yours until you die.”

Jim glared at him. “And I would like to get a little further past puberty before that happens.” 

“Master Jim,” Blinky sighed. “You are now responsible for the protection of two worlds, human and troll alike. If you do not keep the balance, evil trolls like Bular will come into your world and wreak havoc.”

“Wait a second. You’re saying that this Bular could hurt _people?_ And there are other trolls just like him?” Jim asked.

“Like you.” Aaarrrgghh said, pointing at Jim.

“Aaarrrgghh,” Blinky started. “Not helping.”

“What’s he talking about?” Jim asked, looking between Aaarrrgghh and Blinky.

Blinky stepped up to him. “With the amulet in your possession, Bular will seek you out, and you will face him one way or another.”

Toby walked up to them, cutting into the conversation. “Maybe what Jim needs is a little time to process all of this.” He said, a nervous smile on his face. “You know, you laid a lot of heavy stuff on him tonight.”

Blinky thought for a minute, reaching his hand up to scratch his chin. “Fine, fine.” He said, reluctantly coming to an agreement. “But, we shall return tomorrow to begin your training!” He smiled at Jim as he finished.

Toby smiled excitedly. “Awesome sauce!”

Jim ran over to the backdoor, peeking outside to make sure nobody was around. He opened it and looked back toward the trolls. 

Toby looked up at Aaarrrgghh, holding two VHS tapes in front of him. “For the road, big guy.” He said. “ _Moral Weapons Five_ and _Six_ ,” Toby said and handed them to Aaarrrgghh, who dropped them into his mouth. He then proceeded to try and fit through the door.

Blinky looked back at Jim. He was leaning against the wall in the hallway, holding the amulet firmly in his hand. He stared at the wall ahead of him, deep in thought. Blinky walked over to him. “Master Jim, if I may…” He said gently. “Destiny if a gift. Some go their entire lives living existences of quiet desperation, never learning the truth that what feels as though a burden pushing down upon our shoulders is actually a sense of purpose that pushes us to greater heights. Never forget that fear is but the precursor to valor, that to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be a hero.” He gives Jim a warm smile. “Don’t think, Master Jim. _Become._ ” He watched Jim for a moment. “Would you at least consider?”Jim smiled and bumped his fist against Blinky’s. He didn’t say anything, but nodded instead, which was enough for Blinky.

Blinky then looked over at Zoë. She sat quietly on the couch, her arms folded tightly around herself. He walked over to the couch and stood in front of her. 

“Zoë, correct?” He asked her, trying to remember her name. She nodded and sunk back in her seat. “May I speak with you outside?”

Zoë was hesitant, not ready for this conversation, but nodded anyways. “Of course.”

She stood up and followed Blinky out of the back door. Aaarrrgghh had stepped out of the way to let them through, and then continued to push his way through. They walked out into the yard, making sure they were out of earshot of the others.

“I know you know what I am.” Zoë said, before Blinky could even start. “You see me as a threat, don’t you?”

Blinky’s eyes narrowed at her. “Are you saying you aren’t?”

“I’m saying that Jim is my friend, and I will do anything to help him to succeed.” She said. “I don’t expect you to trust me. My kind has never been trusted, especially around the Trollhunter, but I can promise you that I will not harm him.”

“And how can I trust you?” Blinky asked, not convinced that she was telling the truth.

“Let me help you; all of you. Give me a chance to prove myself.” Zoë pleaded. “I swear, I will cause no harm to the Trollhunter.”

Blinky paused for a moment, thinking. “He will find out eventually.”

Zoë lowered her head. “I know. But until he does, let me help you. Please.”

He sighed. “I’m going to regret this…” He turned to her. “Fine. I’m giving you one chance. Any sign that you are working for _him_ , and I will gladly tell Master Jim what and who you really are.”

A soft and grateful smile made its way onto Zoë’s face. “Thank you, Mr. Blinky.”

He rolled his eyes. “No need for formalities.”

“You call Jim _master._ ” She said. “So, I’m going to call you Mister.”

“Fine.” Blinky muttered. “But don’t think that I’m going to change my mind about you. I don’t have to trust you.”

“I know.” Zoë said and smiled. “I don’t expect you to, but I meant what I said. You have my word.” She then turned and headed back toward the house. Before she walked inside, she called over to him, “I look forward to working with you!” And with that, she walked inside the house, leaving Blinky and Aaarrrgghh outside.

Blinky watched her leave and groaned. “What have I done?”

When Zoë made it back inside, Toby and Jim were talking in the living room. 

“They’re pretty stealthy.” Toby said. “How’s that? I just bought you a night.”

“A night?” Jim asked. “How did that help?”

“Dude,” Toby said. “You’re the one who’s always talking about wanting adventure. Well, wish granted.” He smiled and then began to think out loud. “So, trolls are a thing. Huh, who knew?” He walked over to the door and twisted the handle, pulling it open. “I’m heading home, Jimbo. I’ll see you at school tomorrow. Bye Zoë!” He left, shutting the door behind him.

“I should probably get going, too.” Zoë said. “But, I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” 

Jim smiled. “Of course.”

Zoë headed over to the door. “See you later, _Trollhunter._


	4. Chapter Three - Becoming Part Two (continued)

“So, what did you decide?”

Toby looked over at Jim questioningly as they walked into the school the next day. He lightly hit his shoulder, smiling and Jim frowned. Zoë followed along next to them, waiting for Jim’s response. He sighed. “That if anyone finds out about what happened in my kitchen last night, then all three of us will be committed.”

Toby shook his head. “No, I meant about kicking Steve’s butt.”

Zoë rolled her eyes at that statement. “Give up the dream, Tobes.” Jim said, walking past him. The school bell rang and Jim parked his bike on one of the racks. As he was about to head to class, a ding was heard from his pocket. He reached in and pulled out the amulet. Like the night before, it was glowing a bright blue.

“Does this thing run on batteries?” Toby asked, tilting his head as he stared at the amulet. The three hovered around it, trying to figure out what it was doing. A few kids walked past them to get to class, giving them strange looks on their way. “What’s it doing?” He asked again.

Jim shrugged. “How should I know?” He asked, quietly. “It didn’t come with an instruction manual.” He rose his free hand up to cover the amulet, hiding it from view. 

“Does it feel like you’re going to, you know, change?” Toby asked and Jim’s eyes widened.

“Oh no!” Jim began to panic. “What do I do?”

Zoë stepped up. “We need to get you someplace that’s not here.” She said and began to lead him to the gym’s locker room. She held open the door for him as Toby pushed him the rest of the way. Once they were inside, she shut the door and looked around to make sure nobody saw them. She stepped away from the door and noticed Mr. Strickler standing a few feet away from her.

“Oh, great…” She muttered quietly to herself and stepped forward to talk to him. “What do you want?” She asked. 

Strickler looked down at her and frowned, trying to push his way past. “Sorry, Zoë, but I’m a little busy at the moment.” He headed toward the locker room door, but she stepped in his way. 

“Hey, I kind of need to talk to you.” She said, trying her best to distract him, though she knew it wouldn’t work. “See, I was hoping you would help me with a few assignments, and--”

Strickler sighed. “Zoë, we can do that later, but right now I have to go in there.” He said, frustrated. She glared at him as he made his way past her and to the locker room door. He paused for a second, as if he was going to say something, but changed his mind at the last second and pulled it open. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him, leaving Zoë alone. She lowered her head, feeling guilty for letting him through, but quickly cleared the thought from her mind. 

“I’m late for class.” She spoke softly, looking at the time on her phone. “I might as well just skip this hour and go watch the tryouts for the school play.” She turned on her heel and began walking to the auditorium, since she had nothing better to do. 

There weren’t many people in the auditorium when she entered. There were a few kids sitting in the front row, with Miss Janeth in the middle and a clipboard on her lap. “Next!” She called out as a girl got off the stage. Zoë smiled, realizing it was Claire. Shrugging her shoulders, she stepped over to the girl and smiled.

“Hey, Claire.” Zoë said, sweetly. “Nice job on your performance.”

Claire looked up at Zoë as she approached. She chuckled. “Thanks, Zoë.” She said. “What are you doing here? Are you trying out for auditions?”

Zoë shook her head. “No, I just came to see how tryouts were going.” She rubbed the back of her neck and looked up at the stage. “Anyone good?” She asked. “Besides you, of course.” She laughed.

Claire smiled. “There’s been a few good ones.” 

“Who are you?”

The two girls looked up at the stage to see none other than Jim Lake. Zoë’s eyes widened, noticing he had the armour on. He looked amazing, but seemed nervous. Claire smiled as she watched him.

“James Lake Jr.” Jim said, his voice trembling. 

Miss Janeth pushed her glasses up and glanced at him. “And what role are you trying for?”

“Um…” Jim stuttered. “Romeo.”

“Well, we are all ears.” Miss Janeth said, seeming bored already. Zoë looked up at him and smiled, giving him a small nod. He nodded back and stood up, proudly. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and began to speak. 

“Destiny…” He paused. “Destiny is… a gift.” He shook his hands, trying to loosen himself up. “Some go their entire lives living in existence of quiet desperation, never learning the truth that what feels like as though a burden is pushing down upon our shoulders…” He stepped closer to the edge and pulled out his sword. “is actually the sense of purpose that lifts us to greater heights. Never forget that fear is but the precursor to valor.” Zoë looked over at Claire, whose eyes were lit up at the beautiful speech Jim was producing. “That to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be a hero.” He continued. “Don’t think.” He lifted his sword, thrusting it into the air and swinging it around. “Become.”

The room was silent for a moment, but the applause quickly kicked in. Many “woahs” and “wows” were whispered and Miss Janeth was very impressed. Zoë smiled, clapping along with the others. As she watched Jim slowly make his way off the stage, she caught a glimpse of someone in the background. She focused on the figure, and realized it was Strickler. He looked irritated, but tried to act happy for him. 

Turning her attention away from Strickler, she looked around at some of the other students. She noticed Eli stand up from his seat next to Miss Janeth. He was wearing a box over his torso, which was drawn on with a marker to make it look like armour. Angry that he clearly lost the role as Romeo, he threw his wooden sword on the ground and stormed out of the auditorium.

Zoë began to walk up to Jim, but Claire beat her to it. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face and began talking to him. Zoë smiled and stayed back, figuring this was a good thing for Jim. 

“Jim,” Claire said, a warm smile on her face. “That was remarkable.”

Jim chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “Really? I wasn’t even thinking. I just, sort of, said it.”

Claire laughed and rested a hand on his shoulder. “That’s acting!” 

Toby walked over to Zoë as she watched the scene in front of her. “Hey!” He said, a cheesy grin on his face. “He’s actually talking to her!”

“And it’s about time, too.” Zoë said, laughing.

“Man, I wish I had a magical amulet that gave me armour.” He said, dreamily. “Think of how many girls I could pick up with that!”

Zoë looked over at him. “Really?”

“Yeah!” He said. “Claire obviously seems to like it, so wouldn’t the others?”

Zoë sighed and patted his back. “Don’t worry, you’ll get someone soon enough.”

As she spoke, the bell rang. “We should probably get going to class.” Toby said, a frown making its way to his face. “Meet us after school, okay?”

Zoë nodded. “Alright. I think I’ll walk home with you guys, if that’s okay.”

“Heck yeah it is!” Toby said. He headed toward the door. “See you then!”

\-------

“Dude!” Toby shouted as they rode their bikes down the street, headed home. “That was amazing! You were amazing! I’m amazed at how amazing you were!”

“I can’t believe that just happened…” Jim said, still shocked at what had happened in the auditorium. 

Zoë looked over at him, walking along next to him. “Well, believe it,” She said, happily. “Because you’ve definitely gotten the role as Romeo.”

“And did you see how Claire was looking at you?” Toby chimed back in. “Your armour _totally_ did you a favor.”

A smile snuck onto Jim’s face. “I’m still getting the hang of it.”

“The multi-eye guy said it reacts to your emotional state,” Toby said, staring at the road ahead of him. “The armour turns on when you’re in distress.”

“But I wasn’t in distress.” Jim said, frowning.

“Maybe it sensed a threat?” Zoë suggested, remembering Strickler walking into the locker room after Jim.

Toby perked up at that. “Yeah! Like Señor Uhl or Coach Lawrence. Those two are definitely the biggest threats at school.”

Zoë sighed, looking ahead of her. _If only that were true…_ She thought to herself. They continued to come up with reasons as to why the amulet would activate at school as they turned the corner. They pulled to a stop the second they looked down the next street. There, in front of them, was a large, black troll with bright red eyes. He stared at them, as if he was waiting to lunge at them, and growled in the process. 

But I am in distress now.” Jim said, staring back at the troll.

Zoë was frozen in place. She admitted that she was terrified of this creature, and wanted to run away. “That’s Bular…” She said, just above a whisper. As she said that, the troll spoke up.

“Trollhunter.” He growled. “Merlin’s Creation. Gunmar’s Bane.” He lowered himself, getting down on all fours.

“Uhh…” Toby stuttered, looking over at Jim. “I think he’s talking to you.”

Bular punched the ground and began to pace in the shadows, letting out a loud roar. He took a step forward, but pulled back when his hand hit the sunlight.

“He can’t handle the sun.” Zoë said to Jim, watching the smoke come off of his skin. 

“Not for much longer!” Toby panicked, pointing up at the sun, which was quickly going down.

Bular began to speak again. “The amulet!” He boomed. “Surrender it, and I will give you a speedy death.” He inched his way closer as the light of the sun was being replaced with darkness. 

Toby frowned. “He doesn’t know how to negotiate, this guy. Go, go, go!” He said and the three of them fled the site. 

They ran as fast as they could, dashing around the corner and hiding behind a truck. Jim quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out the amulet. 

“Armour up! Armour up! Armour up!” Toby shouted as Jim shook the amulet, trying to get it to activate. “Please! Now! Faster!”

“Shut up, Toby!” Zoë whispered, quieting him. She didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but right now, none of them really cared because of how much panic they were in.

“Okay,” Jim said, shakily. “For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!” He closed his eyes, and the amulet glowed, but that was it. There was no armour; no sword. Nothing. “It’s not working!”

“Try again!” Zoë said, listening as Bular growled and flipped a truck over, searching for them. 

“I am!” Jim spoke back to her. Bular got closer to them as they tried to get the amulet to work. More trucks were flipped over and shoved aside, until he finally found them. Jim stood up once he realized that Bular was staring right at them. He held the amulet out in front of him. “For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!” He waited. Nothing. “Seriously!” He shouted. “It’s mine to command! And I’m commanding here!”

Bular gave an evil smile as he pushed one last truck aside. “Centuries of Trollhunters,” he began, getting closer with each word. “And I will have killed two in almost as many days.” He stepped to the side and lifted one of the trucks up and onto his shoulders. 

Toby stood still and watched as he picked up the truck. “He’s good at math.” He said and Zoë grabbed his arm and began to run.

“Go, go, go!” She yelled as Bular threw the truck.

Toby looked back for a split second and immediately regretted it. “Flying truck!” He screamed and they quickly turned the corner, the truck landing just inches from them. Frustrated that he missed, Bular threw another truck, and they dodged again. 

“I will filet the flesh from your bones!” Bular roared and ran towards them. 

“I like my bones the way they are, thanks!” Toby said, panting, as he continued to run.

Zoë continued to pull Toby along to keep up. “Yeah, Toby, I don’t think he really cares what we like!”

They kept running, getting as far away from the troll as possible. When they thought they had gotten away, he landed on the ground in front of them. They skidded to a stop, then took off again to the left. “Quick!” Jim shouted. “Head down Delancey!” Toby and Zoë followed his instructions and ran after him. “Behind Stuart Electronics!” He said again.

Toby shook his head. “You know I can’t fit in there!”

Jim yelled back to him. “You can fit!”

“I can’t!”

“Tobes, you’ve been on a diet! Remember?” Jim said as he slid into the alleyway. 

Zoë followed quickly behind Jim, and Toby followed her. Jim and Zoë made it safely out the other side.

“Tobes?” Jim asked, looking around, then noticed he was still at the entrance… stuck. 

“Oh no…” Zoë said. “Come on, Toby!”

Toby began to squeeze his way through. “I can fit!” He said, happily, slowly moving his way through. “I can fit! I can fit! I’m fitting! Yay, diet!”

Before Bular could reach him, Zoë pulled him the rest of the way through. “Come on…” She grunted, and pulled him free. 

“Thanks, Zoë.” Toby said, gratefully. 

Zoë panted. “Don’t mention it.”

“Let’s keep going.” Jim said. 

“Right…” Zoë said and took off after him.

“Catch… my breath…” Toby said, just above a whisper. He let out a sick laugh. “Look at me. Look at me. We’re not dead, right?”

“Master Jim!” Came a sudden voice ahead of them, and they stopped. Blinky and Aaarrrgghh came into view, holding plants and bushes in front of them, disguising themselves; the best they could, anyways. 

Jim walked up to him. “Blinky! Bular is trying to kill us! He chased us all over town!”

Blinky smiled. “And you’re still alive!” He said. “I knew you had potential! And you too, Tobias.”

Toby stared up at him. “Thanks?” He said, then realized something. “Wait, what about Zoë?” He asked. 

Blinky shrugged. “Eh.”

Zoë sighed. “Fair enough.”

Toby watched them questioningly for a moment, but quickly dismissed it. “You have a sweet voice, but you bring death with you!” He glared at Blinky.

Jim turned to the trolls. “You can fight him, right?” He said, hopefully. 

Blinky chuckled. “Oh no, no, no. I could not hope to possess the skill to defeat Bular.” He said, simply.

“What about him?” Jim asked, pointing at Aaarrrgghh. “He’s big!” 

Aaarrrgghh shook his head. “Pacifist.”

Jim sighed. “Really?”

“Man,” Toby frowned. “Such a waste of a hulking brute.”

“Thank you.” Aaarrrgghh said, smiling at Toby.

“This is why there is a Trollhunter, Master Jim!” Blinky said, turning back to Jim. “Aaarrrgghh renounced the violent path ages ago.” 

The pound of a fist hitting the ground was heard in the background and they turned to see Bular, his bright red eyes staring all five of them down, a low growl escaping his lips.

“Follow me!” Blinky shouted as he took off running. “We’ll be safe in Trollmarket!”

As Blinky spoke, the others began to run, Bular following close behind. Jim caught up with Blinky, following closely behind him. Toby, on the other hand, was having troubles keeping up. Zoë stopped and looked behind her. “Oh no…” She said quietly and ran back to him. “Come on, Toby!”

“I’m trying..!” He panted, pushing himself to run even faster. “You keep going!” He said to Zoë.

“Yeah, that’s not happening.” She said, trying to push him a bit further. “I’m not leaving you behind!”

As she spoke, the two were lifted off the ground. Zoë looked around, wondering what was going on, when she noticed that Toby and herself were in Aaarrrgghh’s hands. “Got you.” He said and set them on his back. 

“Master Jim!” Blinky called over. “Don your armour!”

“I’ve been trying!” Jim shouted back at him. “The amulet won’t listen to me!”

“Did you speak the incantation?”

Jim frowned. “I’ve been incanting the crap out of this thing, and it’s not working!”

Toby yelled at him from Aaarrrgghh’s back. “Just focus and incant, dude!”

“Hurry!” Zoë said and looked ahead of her to see they were headed for the canals. They ran down the walls and headed under the bridge. Toby and Zoë climbed down off of Aaarrrgghh’s back and noticed that Jim had not followed them under. 

“Jim!” Zoë called over to him. “What are you doing?!”

They could see Bular just above them, heading into the canals. 

Jim pulled out the amulet and held it in front of him. “For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!” He closed his eyes just as Bular ran up to him, punching him hard. He was sent flying backwards, and as he did, a bright blue light shined out and armour formed around him, his sword appearing in his hand.

Bular snarled as his eyes fell on the sword and roared out, furious. 

“Um…” Jim said, backing away. “Nope!” He turned and darted toward the bridge, dodging Bular’s swinging fists along the way. He had almost made it to the bridge, Bular jumped and landed in front of him, blocking his view from the others. “Woah…” He said and stopped running.

“Jim!” Toby screamed. “Oh gosh! He’s going to die!”

“No he isn’t!” Zoë shushed him. “He can do it.” She said this, but she, herself, wasn’t entirely sure he could. 

Blinky called to Jim from behind Bular. “Use your sword, Master Jim!”

Jim glanced down at his sword when hearing this, and then back up at Bular. He stood up on his feet and walked close to Jim, towering above him. “I will drink your blood out of a goblet made from your skull!” 

Jim took a deep breath, clutching the sword tightly in his hand. Bular got back down on all fours and growled, charging at him. As he got closer, Jim raised the sword. It glowed bright in the darkness. He swung it at Bular and managed to push him out of the way. Taking this opportunity, Jim ran toward the bridge.

“We must work quickly!” Blinky shouted as Jim made it over to them. “Open the portal!” He threw an orange crystal over to Aaarrrgghh. “The Horngazel!”

Aaarrrgghh caught the Horngazel and began to draw a doorway into the wall. When he was finished, he punched it and the wall crumbled, revealing some sort of entrance.”

“Woah!” Toby said as his eyes lit up. “So cool!”

“Master Jim!” Blinky called as he began to make his way through the doorway. “Come on!”

Jim held his sword up, focusing on Bular. “I’m a little busy, here!” He said.

“You are not fit to wield that amulet!” Bular roared at him, drawing out two swords. “I will tear that armour off of you, along with your skin!” He swung one of the swords at Jim, but he dodged it. Jim returned the gesture, swinging his own sword, which Bular blocked and used the second sword to strike at Jim.

“Jim!” Toby yelled as he fell back. He sat up, realizing Bular’s sword was stuck in the ground. 

Zoë watched, figuring it was only a matter of time before Bular was able to free his sword and strike Jim again. Not knowing what else to do, she ran away from the others and over to Jim. She grabbed his hand and lifted him up. “Time to go, Jim.” She said and they ran toward the entrance.

“Come on, you two!” Toby shouted as the portal began to close. “Hurry up!” They pushed themselves to run even faster, but they were too late. The portal closed as they arrived back at the bridge.

“No!” Jim cried, pushing his hands against the wall. Zoë pounded her fists against the spot where the entrance had just been, hoping that it would open again. “Come on!” Jim yelled again, pushing as hard as he could, but nothing happened. 

“Jim! You’re armour!” Zoë shouted and Jim looked down to see that it was fading away.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no!” Jim said as the amulet dropped to the ground.

“Pick it up!” Zoe urged as Bular finally released his sword from the ground and threw it at them, the other following close behind. The swords caged them against the wall. Bular ran at them, and the two screamed. Zoë closed her eyes, when she felt the wall behind her disappear and a large hand pull her back.Before Bular could get to them, the wall had sealed itself again, and Jim and Zoë were safe on the other side. 

Jim panted as Aaarrrgghh let go of him and fell back against the wall. “He nearly… We nearly… He almost…” Jim ran out of breath, unable to finish his sentence.

“Almost what?” Blinky asked. “Speak, Master Jim.”

“He almost killed us!” Jim shouted.

“Ah!” Blinky said with a smile. “ _Almost!_ A very important word. A life of _almost_ is a life of never!”

Jim stared at him in disbelief. “But, why did the armour suddenly shut off?” He asked as the five of them had begun to walk down the tunnel.

“Master Jim, you are the first human to possess an amulet crafted for trolls.” Blinky explained. “It is to be expected that it’s behavior will be… _unexpected._ ” As he finished speaking, he stepped on a crystal that was lying on the ground. When stepping on it, it formed a large, beautiful staircase, heading down. “This way, Master Jim.”

Zoë stared down at the staircase in front of her. “This is beautiful…” She said, slowly making her way down.

“Are you sure we’re safe here?” Toby asked as he slid his hand against the crystal wall.

“Indeed.” Blinky confirmed. “The incantation forbids entry to Heartstone Trollmarket by Gumm-Gumms such as Bular, for they are the most fearsome of trolls.”

“Gumm-Gumms?” Jim asked curiously.

“Scary ones.” Aaarrrgghh said, nodding.

“Okay, wait.” Jim said, walking closer to Blinky. “So, Bular can’t get in here, right? Into Heartstone Trollmarket?”

Blinky shook his head. “No, Master Jim.” He said. As he spoke, he grabbed Jim’s shoulders and spun him around to face what was ahead.

Jim’s mind was suddenly cleared of all thoughts and his eyes lit up. “Woah…”

Blinky smiled and patted Jim’s back. “This, Master Jim, is the world that you are bound to protect. This is _Heartstone Trollmarket!”_


End file.
